I used to read these books when I was a young girl. I think I started when I was in the fifth grade and continued on into junior high. My BFF at the time (I wonder how she is these days) introduced me to them and I remember that I loved them and devoured them like candy. Surely I'm not the only one? I was browsing on eBay for books today (I'm totally addicted to eBay ) and I found lots of SVH book lots listed. This got me jonesing to browse through them again and I just feel really silly admitting that... I know I'm going to find them utterly ridiculous as I go through them again, especially when the quality of children's and young adult/teens literature has vastly improved since the seventies and eighties, but still...

What did you read back in the day that you are embarrassed to admit you read (and enjoyed)? Please share...

:blush:

I LOVE reading children's books. But I'm not embarrassed to admit that :giggle: probably my worst habit is trashy mags :blush:

I read SVH too! I'd love to go back and reread some of the books, but I have a huge TBR of never-before-read books I'd rather get to. :)

I was a huge fan of the Sweet Dreams series of books. I admit I bought some from eBay as well. :blush:

Awesome! I'm glad I'm not alone. I DO have some quality literature on my shelves, but sometimes, I just want to indulge in some simple reading pleasure that doesn't require much thought, without dwelling on the plot and how ridiculous it may be, i.e. the SV twins battling werewolves in London...

EllyMae, I have never heard of the Sweet Dreams series, another series with the Wakefield twins?

I read some trashy mags too giz, gotta get my weekly dose of pop culture!

Maybe you can help me out Biblio,

Did you ever read the big novels that they put out that had stories of various wakefields through history?

I read one, and can not remember the title I know it was the female relatives leading up to Jess and Elizabeth's mother. There was supposed to be another with the stories of male relatives up to their dad.

Does this sound familiar to anyone? It was one of the SVH type books I really enjoyed, and would love to go back and reread.

I still read children's books, though I never got into SVH. My favorites were The Boxcar Children, The Little House on the Prairie books, and Goosebumps.

I guess I've never really felt silly about any books that I've read, not even the ones I read as a child.

I still love children's books & teen books. I didn't like it when my youngest child got too old for picture books, but I am now enjoying them with my grandbaby boy.

Yes! I remember these. And I loved them... And I know wikipedia might not be totally reliable, but they list the books!
The Wakefields of Sweet Valley
The Wakefield Legacy: The Untold Story
A Night to Remember
The Evil Twin
Elizabeth's Secret Diary
Jessica's Secret Diary
Return of the Evil Twin
Elizabeth's Secret Diary Volume II
Jessica's Secret Diary Volume II
The Fowlers of Sweet Valley
The Patmans of Sweet Valley

I've bolded the ones I think you're talking about.

The Wiki article is here.

I started reading VC Andrews as a fifth grader, and everytime I still see a new one I pick it up from the library to read, even though I know they're the same book, basically... That's my guilty pleasure.

I use to read the Sweet Valley High books back when I was in 6th grade. I think when they first came out. So I read maybe the first 12 or so. :shrug:
I had a dresser drawer full of them though. :lol: I don't know what ever happened to them. Since my mom moved last year, I imagine they are long gone now.

Jilly Cooper! I love Jilly Cooper and they are all the same book :giggle:

I read some of my daughters Jacqueline Wilson books...(we're going to a signing next month)

I keep thinking I should re-read her Enid Blyton books - although they were mine when I was a child (and have my childish writing in the front!)

Well I don't feel silly about having read and enjoyed them when I was a young girl, I feel silly about wanting to read them again! :lol: I wish I would have kept some sort of a reading journal back then because I have so many vague memories of different plots floating around in my brain, titles unknown...

I'm glad Gotham could help you out nim because I had never heard of those before.

Wikipedia CAN be a good source, especially for finding lists.

Cheesy, I wish you could get your hands on those books because sadly I lost the bid I had going on the lot SVH books. :angry:

Fun thread, thanks everyone!

Oh yeah! I loved V.C. Andrews too. I think I read the Dollanganger series and one other one, don't remember which, but you are right, they are all the same... INCEST GALORE! :blink:

SVH books were like candy for me and my cousin while we were in 5th and 6th grade. They were so "cool" to read and we would go to the store and buy the new # as soon as we knew it was out. I was living in Calgary then. When we moved back to Montreal, all my books save 2-3 were left behind. I didn't bring any of the SVH with me.

This past year I have gotten a hold of some, and they are sitting on my bookshelf all proud of themselves. :P

I still like to read a lot of kids/YA books, but I don't think any of it embarrassed me. I've never read SVH, but I remember other kids reading them. So, are you looking for the SVH books? It seems to me I've seen some around somewhere....

Me too! My grandmother started sending them to me and I got hooked! Dirty little books! :lol:

Oh yes! I am trying to get my hands on SVH books! Anyone who has any they are willing to part with, please PM me so we can work something out, a trade, postage, whatever! Yay! :whistle:

I'll keep my eyes open... I may have even seen some at the OBCZ in my city. Do you have any preference as to registered/non-registered, or any particular books you're looking for or anything?

When i was young I loved the books called Pitty. Not sure if it is the English name. Were they written by Enid Blyton.
Let me do a google search.

Yep. they were written by her.
and the english name is?

OMG. You do not call her Pitty? her name is Darrell? :o

wondered if readers might like to know the names in the translated versions, because I liked reading the original names. For example, I was surprised to find that the heroine of Malory Towers is Darrell, for I've always known her as Pitty (which is a highly uncommon name in Dutch—it sounds like an English name to us). Rather strange as well is the fact that Hilary and Gladys remain as Hilary and Gladys (impossible to pronounce in Dutch!), while Gwendoline transformed into Eline and Daphne became Olga (I know three Dutch girls who are named Daphne). And not to forget, Isabel is named Ann in Dutch, although no Dutch girl ever had the name Ann—normally it is An, Anne or Anna.

(Dutch first book of the series)

Now what are the titles of the English books?

First Term at Malory Towers
aha Malory Towers.
Well anyway I loved these books. :lol:


(English first book of the series)

Marlene! Enid Blyton is my all time FAVOURITE author! I have never read that series though-- actually, I don't know of it at all. It looks like it's for older kids than most of what I've read by her. My favourite books ever are the Faraway Tree books. They were some of the first books I read, and they were read to me longer than I can remember! Did you read any of her other ones?

Yes. i did. I love her books about the twins (also on boarding school) but did not like her books about 5 kids. It was called De Vijf (The 5)

I am going to check out the English name. Glad someone liked them. :bananadance:

OK those were called: THE FAMOUS FIVE

Now off to find more info about the Faraway tree books

OK found them;
I do not think I've read them but I am not sure.

The pictures on those books do look familiar

I've only read one of the Famous Five books. I think I have a couple I haven't read yet though, cause Adam buys me every Enid Blyton book he sees! :lol:

You know, I may have lost my bid on those SVH books on eBay (the bidding got too high for me), but I see that most of the titles are posted on PaperBackSwap.com, hooray! Maybe I will be able to obtain them after all!

I think they are offered a lot on Ebay.
Remembering looking for them for someone on Ebay

Aww how sweet! :wub:

I read Enid Blyton when I was a kid, but in German. I also loved Karl May and my alltime favorite book, which I reread every year is "Kapitaen Bontekoes Shiffsjungen by Johann Fabricius. The first time I read this book I was around 11 or so. I couldn't put it down and I think this was the book that started my love for reading.

I don't get there as much as I'd like, but the thrift store where I buy most of my books usually has a ton of SVH books. With two boys, I've never had the inclination to buy them, though. I will check next time I go there to see what they have. Can you keep us posted on the ones you get so we know which ones you still need?

I sure will Breeni, that is sweet of you to want to help me out! :kiss:

I am getting very close to completing my Sweet Valley High collection! I have been bidding on some lots on eBay, wish me luck! :wink:

I did some checking, and it appears that there are 143 books total in this series, not counting the Super Editions or Super Thrillers. I am going to have a go at them in blocks of ten (this may take me a while).

The books I need from #1 to #10 are:

#5 All Night Long
#9 Racing Hearts
#10 Wrong Kind of Girl



Any help would be greatly appreciated!

I was a huge SVH fan too!!!

And The Babysitter's Club....*sigh*

143 books? :o
Big business :D

I loved SVH and The Babysitter's Club! My friend had board games relate to both series and we played them all the time.

I was most obsessed with a series called The Saddle Club. Imagine that.

haha,I was ALL ABOUt BSC for a while, too! I've heard of the Saddle Club, but never read any. I think my cousin's daughter liked them (I was going to say "my cousin's little girl," but then I realised that the 'little girl' in question is 17... only 4 years younger than me!)

i think up until I was about 13 when my parents split and my dad bought me any book I wanted (out of guilt) I was addicted to Sweet Valley High, Sweet Valley Twins, Nancy Drew (The new series, not the old one), and Baby Sitter Club. I borrowed all my brother's Goosebump books too and I read Fear Street :) I especially liked the cheerleader books (I had issues with cheerleaders in school).

Lexie

I read some of those Cheerleaders books too. Wasn't there a character named something the third, and weren't all the kids rich? I vaguely remember one where they went on a ski trip and there was an avalanche... I can't find those books anywhere!

I used to read Sweet Valley University, watched the SVH show. I also read BSC. I was ADDICTED. I also read Goosebumps, a lot of Christopher Pike. Lexie, I totally forgot that I read the new Nancy Drew series then too until I saw that you mentioned it. What else did I read... I was really into horror and fantasy in middle school. I read Vampire Diaries by LJ Smith. That was the series where there were about 5 teenagers and they were on the run. One was named Gabriel and he was the "bad boy" that ended up hooking up with one of the girls, but she was dating the nice guy so they didn't tell anyone. And they had a telepathic link that they used to feed from each other? Did anyone else read that or does it just sound crazed, lol? I just did some research and corrected this post. Thank you, Wikipedia.

I read Everworld for about 7 books (one of which I sold on eBay a year or so ago). Once I hit 8th grade though, I left that behind and moved onto teen romances. I have about 20 of the Love Stories series and maybe 10 or so of the Making Out series by Katherine Applegate. I read a series that I think was called @ cafe by... Elizabeth Craft. And I'm still mad that there were only 4 books adn the fourth one was left on a CLIFFHANGER. It's been at least... 6 years? And I still want to hunt that author down and just say "Please just TELL me what happens to the characters!"

Got hooked on Fearless (Francine Pascal) in 8th or 9th grade, which I read for about 15 books. I just couldn't take all the stuff going on in the books and I started sneaking real romances by then, lol.

ah...Cee I read the 'Nightworld' and 'Secret Circle' books by L.J. Smith. I was addicted to Nightworld (I live in hope for the final book...eventually...even is its almost a decade late...)

I was also into the 'Replica' books by Marilyn Kaye as well as a number of fantasy and science fiction books. After 8th grade I pretty much stopped SVH and BSC and Nancy Drew and moved onto other things (Tamora Pierce, Mercedes Lackey, Anne McCaffrey etc etc) 'cause I couldn't mesh the portrayal of HS in the books with HS in RL. I was however fully addicted to SVH the tv series until it stopped airing (alon gwith Breaker High).

Biblio--I don't much remember the Fear Street Cheerleader books, but I think we might be talking of two different series (at least I don't remember an Avalanche...)

When I could take out of the library (long story, I'm not allowed to anymore), I read alot of 70's/80's teen books, mostly science fiction by Louise Lawrence and teen books by Margaret Anderson. Does anyone else remember 'Searching for Shona' (Anderson) or 'Andra'(Lawrence)?

I rather miss the good ol' days of SVH and all, my sister is into the 'A-List' and 'Clique' and 'Gossip Girl' books which I think aren't very appropriate no matter what age they are geared towards (and even LESS realistic...).

Lexie

yep! SVH too! and babysitters club. and i have about 200 of them not listed on my shelf cos A. i cant be bothered and B. they would all be on my PC shelf. i want to save them for my daughter. i used to read them and think how cool it would be to be elizabeth!

I read SVH as well...and Nancy Drew when I was younger. I can't remember which ones I read though because it was basically what the library had I took!

I still like reading books for younger readers. Some are really good! I have to admit that some aren't as tame as I used to read...I wonder if some parents know what their kids are reading?

Just wanted to let you know that I haven't forgotten about you. I went to the thrift store today and they only had two SVH books, and both were in pretty bad condition or I would have grabbed them. I'll keep an eye out, though.